Care leaver status
It's important to check your care leaver status, this will indicate the support you are entitled to.
For qualifying care leavers your support will be based on an individual assessment of your needs.
There are 4 types of care leaver status. You can compare your circumstances to the information on this page to find out which status you have.
Eligible Care Leaver
You're an Eligible Care Leaver if:
- you're currently looked after aged 16 or 17, and;
- you have been looked after for 13 weeks since age 14 and you're still looked after
If you're an Eligible Care Leaver:
- if near to your 16th birthday, your social worker will, after discussion with you and other important people in your life, complete an assessment of your needs and write your Pathway Plan
- your social worker will be responsible for reviewing your Pathway Plan until your status as a young person in care ends
- you'll be allocated a Pathway Worker from the Pathway Team at age 17 and a half or earlier, if your plan is to leave care before 18
- your Pathway Worker will support you to age 21, or up to 25 if you feel you still require support in certain areas of your life
Eligible status also means that if you and your foster carers are agreeable, we'll support you to continue to live with them at 18. This is what we call a staying put arrangement and can be up to age 21.
A staying put arrangement allows you time to focus on your education, training or employment, and to develop independence skills at a gradual pace whilst having continued support from the people you know and trust. You can talk with your social worker or foster carer about staying put and the pathway accommodation officer can give you more details.
Relevant Care Leaver
You're a Relevant Care Leaver if:
- you're no longer looked after by the local authority, you have been an Eligible Care Leaver, and are aged 16 or 17
- immediately before being detained or in hospital you were eligible, or;
- you lived for a continuous period of 6 months or more with a parent or someone with parental responsibility and where those arrangements broke down
If you're a Relevant Care Leaver:
- you will be supported by a named Pathway Worker
- your Pathway Worker will be responsible for reviewing and keeping your Pathway Plan up to date every 6 months, or more frequently if required
- your Pathway Worker will support you to age 21, or up to 25 if you feel you still require support in certain areas of your life
Former Relevant Care Leaver
You're a Former Relevant Care Leaver if:
- you're aged 18 years or above, and have either been an Eligible Care Leaver or Relevant Care Leaver when under 18
- at the age of 21, or before reaching the age of 25 you are in education or training, you'll remain a Former Relevant Care Leaver until the end of the agreed program
- you have been either been an Eligible Care Leaver or Relevant Care Leaver when under 18, and requested support between the age of 21 and 25
If you're a Former Relevant Care Leaver:
- you will be supported by a named Pathway Worker
- your Pathway Worker will be responsible for reviewing and keeping your Pathway Plan up to date every 6 months, or more frequently if required
- your Pathway Worker will support you to age 21, or up to 25 if you feel you still require support in certain areas of your life
21 to 25 support for Former Relevant Care Leavers
This duty enables the city of York to respond positively to requests for support from care leavers aged 21 to 25 who may be continuing to require help in certain areas of their lives whilst they make their transition to adulthood and independent living.
It also recognises care leavers' growing stability and maturity between the ages of 21 and 25, during which many care leavers are able to lead successful lives without pathway support and may not need continuing contact with their local authority.
Qualifying Care Leaver
You're a Qualifying Care Leaver if:
- you're at least 16, but under 21, and;
- you were looked after immediately prior to the making of a special guardianship order which was in force when you reached 18
- at any time after you reached 16, but while you were still a child, you were no longer looked after, accommodated or fostered
- you were privately fostered but considered to be a child in need
Qualifying young people are entitled to an assessment of their needs, to establish whether they require advice and assistance. Where, following assessment, support is identified as required over a period of time, a Pathway Plan will be completed to detail the support to be provided.
The amount of support and the frequency of contact you receive from the Pathway Team will depend on your assessed needs and your individual circumstances.